A bit too easy. The world is a bit small and lacks some of the novelty found in Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Frame rate locked to 30.

I enjoyed Need For Speed: Rivals a great deal thanks to its rewarding gameplay that focuses on high-speed driving through a gorgeous environment. I'm especially thrilled that the Criterion approach to racing games—epitomized by the classic Burnout series—is now a part of the Need for Speed franchise's DNA.

One of the most appealing things about NFS: Rivals is how everything takes place in an open world, there is no online mode because everything you do is online. Even if you strictly play against computer opponents, other real players inhabit that world. NFS: Rivals' map doesn’t match it's immediate predecessor—Need for Speed: Most Wanted—in terms of stunts and jumps. It's much more of an open-road racing game, but the upshot is that racers crash much less often, and that's a welcome break from NFS: Most Wanted's crash-happy gameplay.

I enjoyed playing both the cop role and the racer roles. Even though the game features a maximum frame rate locked at 30fps, gameplay was smooth. The graphics are quite beautiful, and there are tons of little details to savor. Some scenes practically beg a player to stop what they are doing and enjoy the view. Clearly, this is a game developed with the new next-generation consoles in mind.

3D gameplay looked excellent. I used TriDef 3D set for line-interlaced 1080p mode and the result was lag-free 1080p 3D at 30fps. All of the graphic elements were in the right place, the illusion os a real 3D world was exceptional. This is a game I'd want to play through an Oculus Rift.